| The purpose of this study was to inquire about the decision-making and problem solving processes of elementary school teachers and principals. The guiding research questions were: (1) how do they experience decision making and problem solving; (2) what formal and informal processes are at work in schools; (3) how do they organize, individually and collectively, to make decisions and solve problems in the course of their day-to-day work? Case study methods, grounded in interpretive perspectives, guided data gathering and analytic strategies to capture the meaning making and negotiation that are always a part of professional practice. I interviewed six teachers and three principals individually on three occasions over the course of a school year. Data analyses involved exploring emergent and organic themes and processes embedded in the data. These analyses were also informed by the construct of mindfulness, the conceptual foundation for this study (Weick et al., 1999).;Analysis revealed that the teachers made decisions and solved problems through: "noticings" about their students (e.g., thinking about thinking); negotiating in response to different demands; and shifting strategies while teaching. They notice student academic and social behaviors and adjust their plans. They generate theories or assertions based on what they notice. These "noticings" about students lead to frank self-evaluations of teaching practices. Shifts resulting from noticing students also include adjustments in their own ways of thinking about instruction, student learning, or their own preferences regarding classroom climate. These noticings inform negotiations that balance different demands and the tacit knowledge that generates extemporaneous decision-making.;Analysis revealed that the principals in this study made decisions and solved problems through "noticings", teacher evaluation processes, organizing for teacher learning, managing school resources, and navigating change. They were aware of teacher actions and mindsets, which informed their decisions about time, space, and resources. They negotiated issues related to teacher and parent demands, district and state policies, teacher professional development, and ambiguities they experience in their own work.;The stories captured in this study revealed that problem solving and decision-making are integral, continuous, generative processes that are part of professional practice, not limited to more formalized events. |
